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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | I have heard that people will back off the drag after every outing to "save the drag gears" or whatever... Is it beneficial to do that?? I never have personally, but if I can extend any life of my reel I would like to do so. Are there any benefits to doing that at all? |
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Posts: 568
Location: Lake St Clair | I always do this. I have no proof if it works tho.
I always forget to tighten it back up. |
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Posts: 531
| I have a friend i fish with (bass guy) who swears its the best thing for the drag washers to relax. He loosens after every trip. I use to do that for years, but noticed no difference in musky fishing. So i have not done it in years except for my winter reel cleaning in which i tear the reel down and clean, lube and replace.
I believe for fisherman who actually use the drag like it is intended you can notice a difference in how smooth the drag is. But with most musky guys having the reel drag turned super tight you will not see any preformance increase because drag slip smoothness isnt high on a priorty list when fighting a musky |
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Posts: 716
| If you back off the drag engage the clicker as a reminder to tighten it back down on your next outing. |
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Posts: 79
| bturb, very good idea to give yourself a reminder, will have to implement that asap. Thank you
Sometimes losing is winning. |
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Posts: 767
Location: Ames, Iowa | >>drag slip smoothness isnt high on a priorty list when fighting a musky<<
Don't think I agree with that one. I loosen mine every time I've set the hooks on a fish, so I'm not threatening to pull the bait out of her mouth. I think a smooth drag is a huge deal when battling a muskie. And yes, I back mine off after every use, and often remember to reset, often forget too.
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | Pikemaster will know the answer to this one. Where are you?!?
Bturg, good reminder trick. |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | The reels made today most have Carbontex drag washers in them so You do not have to lock down drags in reels today because the Carbontex drags are powerful and are very smooth when they are pulled out. With 80 - 100lb braid and stiff rods that are 9ft long, when you move the rod tip 3 foot, the bait moves 3 ft, so if your hooks are SHARP ??? they will go into bone on a hook set. My drags are tight but a big fish will be able to take drag if my thumb is not on the spool. I see so many guys trying to back off the drag on reels that they have tighted down to the max while fighting a fish, what a big mistake that can turn in to, when I need more drag I use my thumb on the spool and my reel is always on drag. Also I never open up the reel when fighting a fish, I use the drag. I see so much damage done to reels that have been lock down tight and guys that use the spool release when fighting a fish, plus one slip of your thumb and that 50" fish is gone. If you use the drag of the reel and use your thumb on the spool when fighting a fish you can run a thinner hook that will penetrate deeper then 4x Hooks. Also big heavy hooks will effect the action of alot of baits. I feel when guys say that they did not get hooks into them, that they really rip the hooks out of the muskie mouth. That is my take, and to each there own.
I always back off the drag and the cast control knob at the end of the day.
Edited by PIKEMASTER 6/6/2012 7:54 AM
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| Pikemaster - in the old days with not-so-great abu drags there were only two top-end drag settings: not-tight-enough and full lockdown. 
But with the carbontex drags we can now choose a lot more gradual gradients between kinda tight and locked. So given that option, any suggestions as to what actual poundage drag you use, any idea? I'd like to have a number as a benchmark if you or someone could supply. "Lockdown" on an old 6500 was probably(?) about 10-15 pounds. If you can pull line with a hard yank it is probably 10 pounds (??? 5 pounds? I'm guessing).
All discussions on drags are hard to understand because of a lack of common benchmarks and terminology. On one reel if you set drag so you can't pull it out by hand it might be 10# of drag. On another reel the same kind of "setting" might be giving you 15# or drag, or 7#...??? (This also means that talking about setting your drag by percentage of full is useless except if comparing identical drag systems/reels)
Thanks for any amount of clarification you can add to this discussion. |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | settin it tight-ish - 6/6/2012 9:21 AM
Pikemaster - in the old days with not-so-great abu drags there were only two top-end drag settings: not-tight-enough and full lockdown. But with the carbontex drags we can now choose a lot more gradual gradients between kinda tight and locked. So given that option, any suggestions as to what actual poundage drag you use, any idea? I'd like to have a number as a benchmark if you or someone could supply. "Lockdown" on an old 6500 was probably (? ) about 10-15 pounds. If you can pull line with a hard yank it is probably 10 pounds (??? 5 pounds? I'm guessing ). All discussions on drags are hard to understand because of a lack of common benchmarks and terminology. On one reel if you set drag so you can't pull it out by hand it might be 10# of drag. On another reel the same kind of "setting" might be giving you 15# or drag, or 7#...??? (This also means that talking about setting your drag by percentage of full is useless except if comparing identical drag systems/reels ) Thanks for any amount of clarification you can add to this discussion.
I use mostly 400 ConQuests and Toro50 reels so on the Conquests they are rated at 16lbs of drag with stock drag washers but my ConQuests have Carbontex drag washers that have Cal's grease on them so I lock down the drag and then back it off about 1/4 - 1/2 turn of the star wheel from hand lock down, that will change with the line I'm using and the length and action of the rod I'm using, It is a feel thing, I wish it was that easy to say 12lbs or what. I want my rod to be bend over hard before drag will come out. I plam a reel so it is very easy for me to keep a thumb on the spool for hook sets. I like to use Cal's drag grease on all my drag washers so when drag is pulled it is smooth.
Hope that answer your ??? GREAT DISCUSSION
Edited by PIKEMASTER 6/6/2012 10:24 AM
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | So just to be clear pikemaster...
I should not lock down all the way, back off roughly half a turn and use my thumb to set the hook with more efficiency? And always back off the drag after every outing? If you were to guess, how fast would you say the drag washers would burn out if not backing off after every trip? just curious. I have had my new reel for a full season (last year) and the start of this one, I only backed off the drag in the off season. I would think it should be fine after only one season, but not sure...?
Thanks for all the info on this topic, I have always been confused on this |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | FAT-SKI - 6/6/2012 10:46 AM
So just to be clear pikemaster...
I should not lock down all the way, back off roughly half a turn and use my thumb to set the hook with more efficiency? And always back off the drag after every outing? If you were to guess, how fast would you say the drag washers would burn out if not backing off after every trip? just curious. I have had my new reel for a full season (last year) and the start of this one, I only backed off the drag in the off season. I would think it should be fine after only one season, but not sure...?
Thanks for all the info on this topic, I have always been confused on this
There is no right or wrong, But I do it this way 
I don't fish with lock down drags, my thoughts are if the fish is hooked and he can not take a little line the the hooks will open up the hole then the hooks will come out on a big head shake or be ripped out of the flesh.
If you don't back off the drag after every trip no big deal but during the winter you should and if you don't then the drag spring washers will take a set and you drag will not have the stopping power it once had.
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Posts: 8772
| I've always done this. I figure it's sure not going to hurt anything. And if the drag washers ever wear out? So you change them. What are they, a couple bucks? |
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| PIKEMASTER - 6/6/2012 10:21 AM
Hope that answer your ???
yes thank you! |
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Speaking of drag systems